Book #42 for 2013I didn't really dislike this book, but the whole thing felt off to me. I'm not exactly an expert on Renaissance faires, but I've been to several of the larger ones as well as a few SCA functions, and I'm familiar with the behind-the-scenes lifestyle of Silver Dollar City (a sort of living history-based theme park). By comparison, this book's world seemed silly and over-the-top. Maybe that's what the authors were going for, but it failed to draw me in.I also found the "real" cop's attitudes and actions to be unrealistic, and I can't imagine any professional police organization conducting a murder investigation in this slapdash manner. The subplots seemed even more painfully contrived than the murder plot, the sleuth character was generally annoying, and the rest of the cast and crew seemed cartoonish.So maybe I did dislike this book just a little. Not enough to lop off another star, though. If you're looking for something light and silly with people in period garb waving swords about, you could probably do a lot worse than this. Again, Jessie is working for the summer at the Renaissance Faire. This time she is apprenticing to the swordsmith, Daisy. Daisy is excellent with a sword. Jessie is apprenticing with her to learn swordmanship and how to craft a sword. She is still working on her doctoral dissertation and still in love with Chase. She runs into someone outside the jail who claims to be Chase's fiancée - actually his ex-fiancée. She also meets Chase's brother, Morgan. She was unaware he had a brother, but is learning why Chase never mentioned him, or Brooke. There are more complications on the way. Alastair, the great swordsman, is coming to the village and a duel is scheduled between him and Daisy. There is an impromptu clash between the two before the official duel in which Daisy bests Alastair, but barely, and Jessie prevents him taking revenge on her. Then Alastair turns up dead in the castle where he and his entourage were spending the night. Alastair's collection of dangerous daggers has disappeared and a sword has been driven clear through him. Daisy, is of course, a suspect because it had to be someone fairly strong. But Jessie is sure it isn't her and so begins to check on others in Alastair's entourage. She is so busy working on the case and dealing with Chase's brother and ex-fiancée and trying to match-make among the residents, that she doesn't have a lot of time to work on her craft, but it's just the first week or two into the summer. in fact, she ends up challenging Brooke to a duel and Brooke chooses bow and arrows. But Jessie has already worked with the arrowsmith a previous summer.
